Program Notes from April 28, 2009 Meeting of LKWA

Program Notes from the April 28, 2009 Meeting of LKWA

April 28, 2009 at 6:00 pm

Milton Town Hall

Meeting was called to order by Vice-Chair, Susan Yates at 6:00 PM. 18 members were present.

Minutes of March 31, 2009 meeting were approved.

Old business

1. Recent sightings around the lake:

Lots of Egrets all around the lake
Ospreys have returned to Shackelford's nesting site
Many broods of Canadian geese around
Wood ducks are nesting in our boxes
Red Tailed hawks seen on Shearer farm
Orioles have been seen on Shackelford property, both Baltimore and Orchard Orioles
Purple Martins have returned
Eagle nest has been reported on the Bark river
3 Whooping Cranes have been seen North of Ft. Atkinson

2. Water level of Lake Koshkonong:

Lake level as of today was 9.3 ft
Highest recorded level for this year has been 11.4 ft
No word on Court of Appeals decision – probably mid-summer

New business:

Next Board meeting will be on Tuesday June 30th. This will be an open meeting. All members are invited. Please bring any new ideas you may have regarding future programs, projects and budget.
The Wisconsin Wetlands Association (WWA) is launching a brand new program called Wisconsin’s Wetland Gems. 100 wetlands have been designated as gems in recognition of their ecological diversity, beauty and functional importance. Although there are many more “wetland gems” throughout Wisconsin, these were chosen to represent various types of wetlands throughout the state. There will be a public kick-off of this program on May 18th at Cherokee marsh near Madison. As members of the WWA we are invited to attend. Time will be from 11:00-3:00.
Purple Loosestrife control: we will be collecting the beetles that eat loosestrife and distributing them into selected wetlands around the lake. People are needed to help collect the beetles so we need volunteers. If you would like to help with this project call Ms. Cindy Wagner 920-728-0473. Susan Yates, Bill Zeman and Jim Leute expressed interest.
Co-operative Weed Management Area (CWMA): Penny S. reported that we are still working on and writing up the proposal for this project. We will be applying for a grant to fund the planning and launch of this project. More work is needed to survey the potential areas of focus. Most likely, Rose Lake is one the areas to be included. The steering committee has expressed interest in emphasizing education.

Meeting was adjourned at this point.

Program: "Management programs for Rose Lake and Red Cedar Lake in Jefferson County", presented by Mr. Joe Nehmer, Director of Parks for Jefferson county

Rose Lake

Rose Lake is a 175 acre shallow, hard water seepage pond surrounded by wetlands and oak trees. It is located West of Ft. Atkinson off of Hwy 12. The area comprises the Dorothy Carnes County Park and the Rose Lake State Natural Area.

This entire area has been designated a Wisconsin State Natural Area. The total acres in this area is about 400 with ownership of about 1 1/2 miles of shoreline on Rose Lake.

Total investment in the area is about 1.6 million dollars and it should be noted that 97% of these monies were from sources other than Jefferson County.

TThe goal for the area is simple: to make a natural area available for people to enjoy without ruining it!!! Restoration work ongoing is savanna restoration and tall grass prairie restoration.

Red Cedar Lake /p>

There are no active projects at Red Cedar Lake.

Respectfully submitted,

William J. Zeman, Secretary